Macron in Bangladesh to 'Consolidate' France's Indo-Pacific Push

President Emmanuel Macron was in Bangladesh in a bid to 'consolidate' France's Indo-Pacific strategy. Ludovic MARIN / AFP
President Emmanuel Macron was in Bangladesh in a bid to 'consolidate' France's Indo-Pacific strategy. Ludovic MARIN / AFP
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Macron in Bangladesh to 'Consolidate' France's Indo-Pacific Push

President Emmanuel Macron was in Bangladesh in a bid to 'consolidate' France's Indo-Pacific strategy. Ludovic MARIN / AFP
President Emmanuel Macron was in Bangladesh in a bid to 'consolidate' France's Indo-Pacific strategy. Ludovic MARIN / AFP

President Emmanuel Macron was in Bangladesh on Monday in a bid to "consolidate" France's Indo-Pacific strategy and counterbalance a "new imperialism" in a region where China's influence is increasingly being extended.

"Based on democratic principles and the rule of law, in a region facing new imperialism, we want to propose a third way -- with no intention to bully our partners or to lead them to an unsustainable scheme," Macron told Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, speaking in English.

The United States and China are competing for influence in the wider region, and Macron has pushed France as offering an alternative, said AFP.

"Bangladesh is progressively retrieving its place on the world stage," Macron said, speaking after he arrived in the capital Dhaka on Sunday after the G20 leaders summit in neighboring India wrapped up.

He praised what he called "the tremendous success" of the South Asian country, a rapidly growing economy and the world's eighth most populous nation with more than 170 million people.

Macron on Monday is set to hold talks with Hasina as well as visit a memorial to her father, Bangladesh's first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, before returning to Paris.

Hasina said Macron's "push for strategic autonomy aligns with our own foreign policy", speaking at a dinner to welcome him. "We find you to be a breath of fresh air in international politics".

Several Western governments have expressed concern over the political climate in Bangladesh ahead of general elections due before the end of January, where the ruling party dominates the legislature and runs it virtually as a rubber stamp.

The visit to Dhaka will also be "an opportunity to deepen the bilateral relationship with a country which is experiencing rapid economic development... and which seeks to diversify its partnerships", the president's Elysee Palace office said.

Macron's visit follows a Pacific trip in July to the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, as well as a stopover in Sri Lanka, in which he outlined his Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at "recommitting" France to the region.

On Sunday, Macron met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 in New Delhi, who he hosted in Paris in July.

The French presidency suggested that Macron in the past six months had "done more about South Asia than in the space of a decade".



Iran Says Continuing Uranium Enrichment on Its Soil 'Red Line'

People walk at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on June 3, 2025. (AFP)
People walk at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on June 3, 2025. (AFP)
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Iran Says Continuing Uranium Enrichment on Its Soil 'Red Line'

People walk at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on June 3, 2025. (AFP)
People walk at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on June 3, 2025. (AFP)

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Iran's right to enrich uranium on its soil was a "red line" after the United States submitted its proposal for a new nuclear deal.

"Continuing enrichment on Iranian soil is our red line," Araghchi said while on a visit to Lebanon, adding that his country will respond to the proposal in the coming days based on Iran's "principled positions and the interests of the Iranian people".

US President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that Iran will not be allowed any enrichment of uranium under a potential deal with Washington.

Araghchi said the US proposal, submitted through mediator Oman, has "many ambiguities and questions".

On Saturday, Iran said it received "elements" of a US proposal for a nuclear deal following five rounds of talks that started in April and were mediated by Oman.

Uranium enrichment has remained a key point of contention between Washington and Tehran in the talks to seal a nuclear deal, with Iran defending what it says is its right to pursue a peaceful nuclear energy program and the US calling it a "red line".

"We will not ask anyone for permission to continue enriching uranium in Iran. However, we are ready to take steps... to ensure that this enrichment will not lead to the production of nuclear weapons," Araghchi said.

Araghchi was visiting Beirut following a stop in Cairo on Monday, where he met with Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Grossi on Monday called for more transparency from Iran following a leaked report that showed Tehran had increased production of highly enriched uranium.

The IAEA report showed that Iran has ramped up production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity -- close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons.

Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.